CVS/pharmacy continues fight against ‘money trashing’

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy said that it is continuing to promote its "MoneyTrashers" campaign by adding new digital resources to CVS.com and the CVS/pharmacy Facebook page.

Beginning Oct. 1, members of CVS/pharmacy’s ExtraCare rewards program will begin receiving their quarterly reward payout. In line with this, the drug store chain said that both sites now feature new humorous videos showing shoppers all the ways they can remember to not be a "MoneyTrasher." Viewers can vote on their favorite videos and help spread the word to others by sharing the content on Facebook and Twitter, which can encourage them to "Stop Money Trashing."

What’s more, shoppers can declare their commitment against "MoneyTrashing" by taking a digital pledge to not be a MoneyTrasher. The first 500,000 pledge registrants will automatically receive $2 ExtraBucks rewards, the company said.

"We have always been proud that tens of millions of loyal CVS/pharmacy customers redeem their ExtraBucks rewards and have made ExtraCare the most successful retail rewards program in the U.S.," CVS/pharmacy customer relationship management VP Melissa Studzinski said. "However, our goal is to help even more customers realize how easy it is to save money by taking advantage of the rewards available. Since launching our MoneyTrashers campaign, the number of ExtraCare members redeeming their rewards has reached new heights and it is clear the message is resonating with customers and people are having a lot of fun with it. As we enter the next phase of this campaign, we want to continue that excitement and enlist our customers to teach their friends and family to stop ‘trashing’ their ExtraBucks rewards, too."

DSE Healthcare employs social media to elicit consumer testimonials

EDISON, N.J. — DSE Healthcare Solutions reached out to volunteers with recurrent urinary tract infections through social media sites for a 12-week Cystex challenge. The outreach incorporated the Cystex Facebook page, Cystex Ladies Room Blog and outreach to bloggers, who spread the word through their network of consumers and other bloggers.

Ten women were selected out of that group and supplied with a 12-week supply of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox. The women reported on their progress weekly and communicated via the Cystex "Ladies Room" blog and the Cystex Facebook page.

Of the 10 women, eight completed the challenge. In the 12 months prior to beginning the challenge, this group of women had paid an average of four visits to the doctor for UTI-related issues. During the 12 weeks of the challenge, the total number of doctors visits was zero.

"While this was in no way a scientifically based study, as a practicing urologist, I believe that the results were impressive," stated Elizabeth Kavaler, a New York City urologist and Cystex spokeswoman. "What I especially found impressive were the women’s own evaluations of their bladder health — before and after — and the dramatic improvements reported."

"All of the patients reported improvement after initiating use of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex, and none reported an adverse reaction," Kavaler added. "The personal accounts of the impact that this supplement had, from reduced stress to improvements in quality of life, are great substantiation."

The Cystex Better Bladder Challenge was created and executed for DSE by Robin Leedy & Associates.

“We’re excited to join the Carlsbad community and share the benefits of Pharmaca with more residents in the North County area,” stated Mark Panzer, president and CEO of Pharmaca. “Our distinctive concept provides our customers with an opportunity to manage their own health through traditional pharmacy offerings, holistic treatment options, additional health-focused products, educational resources and a talented licensed practitioner staff.”

Pharmaca has partnered with the Mitchell Thorp Foundation to support their charitable efforts in providing funding for families with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. As part of that partnership, 5% of opening-day sales will go to MTF. “We’re so pleased that Pharmaca can partner with this organization that is so important to so many families in need,” Panzer said.

The new 4,700-sq.-ft. location joins the La Jolla location, which opened in 2007, as the second store in the area. The store’s team of practitioners will be led by Lisa Hinckley, licensed acupuncturist, who will work alongside licensed pharmacists and other holistic practitioners, including naturopathic doctors, herbalists and estheticians.

A grand opening will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 20, hosted by area chamber of commerce and city council members, along with Hinckley and store manager Susan Joslin. Later that night, Pharmaca will host a VIP event for local doctors, chamber members, Facebook/Twitter fans, council members and other local VIPs.

The first 100 customers to visit the store on Oct. 22 will receive goodie bags filled with a variety of health and beauty samples and will be able to take advantage of free cholesterol testing. Personalities from the KyXy radio station will be on-site, broadcasting from the new Pharmaca between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

On Nov. 3, the Carlsbad Pharmaca will host the first of its educational events with a lecture by Michael Murray, an expert in integrative health. The lecture is the first in Carlsbad’s Healthy Living Lecture series and will be followed by a talk on Nov. 10 by Karen Behnke, CEO and founding partner of Juice Beauty skin care. The store will soon have a monthly slate of events that will help Pharmaca serve as a community health resource in the Carlsbad area.

RELATED NEWS

Sam’s Club senior vice president and GMM of consumable and health and wellness will be retiring at the end of the fiscal year, a Sam’s Club spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Turner-Mitchael is a 26-year veteran of the company, having joined Walmart in 1992 as a pharmacist in Lubbock, Texas.

Grocery retailer and wholesaler Supervalu has shared the results from its fiscal 2018 third-quarter, which included a boon to its wholesale business in the form of its Unified Grocers acquisition, even as retail sales declined. The Minneapolis-based company’s total continuing operations saw net sales of $3.94 billion — up 31% from $3 billion in the same period last year.

RLA Collective, an OTC/healthcare-focused integrated marketing agency, made the 2018 Innovation SABRE Awards shortlist for three programs in digital/marketing: “Best in Digital Marketing/Advertising” for an integrated media campaign with Vetoquinol U.S.A; “Best Use of Video Networks” utilizing Facebook LIVE to showcase pet care advice from Tomlyn's resident veterinarians; and “Best in Brand Narratives” for a unique video testimonial influencer campaign, “VSL#3: The Journey Back," (featured above) the company announced last week.

Petrics, a pet health technology company, is looking to make tracking weight, activity levels and rest periods a whole lot easier for pet owners. By launching the Smart Pet Bed, Activity Tracker, pet Health and Nutrition App, the Las Vegas-based company is aiming to help those four-legged family members achieve optimal weight ranges.

Forgotten Password

Registration complete

REGISTER

USERNAME *

Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, and underscores.

E-MAIL ADDRESS *

A valid e-mail address. All e-mails from the system will be sent to this address. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail.

Password *

Confirm Password *

Please choose a password for your account; it must be 8 - 30 characters. .

First Name *

Last Name *

Company Name *

Job Title *

ZIP *

Are you a *

Retailer or Healthcare professional

Non-Retailer

How many stores do you operate?: *

Which best describes the business/industry you work in?: *

Which best describes your job title?: *

Please select the newsletters you would like to subscribe to

DSN A.M.
Daily news stories covering the retail drug industry

Breaking News
First-to-the-market with developing stories in the industry